Two Choices

sweetspot

Two Choices
( L& {- d$ k! E' {>
> What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,
# w0 s" [9 X! V3 V! h> there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the
> same choice?
>
2 X/ s2 b# `+ j7 I5 n3 q% T> At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children,
> the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be
> forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated
1 I, W  G1 o8 e2 {7 e2 a> staff, he offered a question:
( Z4 {  M' F+ Z+ d6 {2 p! v" \2 Y>
> 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is
& d6 f4 J3 ]. V4 H% V. o; v> done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other
> children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the
) P0 L* L& o1 H; h5 k. t/ E> natural order of things in my son?'
5 s  F( M0 e3 Q4 {' p>
" X; B2 ~( M: z& x& k' m> The audience was stilled by the query.
>
> The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, physically
> and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize
> true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people
> treat that child.'
>
> Then he told the following story:
8 B( u; j) l) p$ l. Y: S4 }>
> Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were
1 u* k( d6 c5 E% M3 Y: I8 d> playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' Shay's
$ O, c9 U8 n" \5 ]> father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their
> team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play,
- f# s5 _' u) f* o: R( c1 T2 i+ x3 M> it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be
0 {5 f, ^/ y5 e5 y3 R! i> accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
>
- e: d- p& h* c8 k& c> Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not
> expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and
* @. F: V- F" M/ V, J3 {+ M& a> said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I
> guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth
> inning.'
>
> Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a
& [( `) U! _( e, C. q; G> team shirt. His Father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in
2 F& @1 ?0 z& [! q# M- N6 q0 P> his heart. The boys saw the father's joy at his son being accepted. In the
> bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still
> behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and
: Y6 Y4 e  R( @$ T, _* U> played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was
' u+ Z- g4 l  O2 w; o> obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from
> ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the
> ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases
> loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be
> next at bat.
>
: t) W5 q$ W9 `0 R; n> At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the
> game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat Everyone knew that a hit was all
0 U+ Y5 }) Z9 |' \> but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly,
> much less connect with the ball.
0 D- F' H3 I, E, G> However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the
> other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved
> in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make
% `! H; L5 i9 l+ }7 T> contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The
( w8 H3 T' \! V" R% ]$ G$ A> pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
  h7 z2 ^; W8 d4 t+ f> As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball
$ y  r5 |4 e9 }, s7 A+ l3 o& k> right back to the pitcher.
>
* h# ]8 l- U- r( D> The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and
( Z" O3 H! P( J" y! }( ~; @> could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been
> out and that would have been the end of the game.
/ ~7 P& a! k9 Z1 h/ J& U>
% P; T+ m3 [% j> Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out
> of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started
> yelling, 'Shay, run to first! Run to first!' Never in his life had Shay ever
  `7 g7 v2 g7 {/ V- y- M" T( M" a# t> run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline,
> wide-eyed and startled.
" p, f: Z0 G0 ^6 }( s8 T# d>
. `+ x% e& _9 \& S$ e. z& m; @> Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!' Catching his breath, Shay
> awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the
> base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had
) i; P0 x1 q! _9 o" P  n9 q, t5 Y> the ball ... The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to
> be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the
! [( r" R5 n- q5 Z/ I2 V+ j7 s> second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intention So he,
) `* K+ [5 K; a! X& Q- u> too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's
$ o, \1 ^; y8 L0 n" R0 u# K' B/ [> head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him
> circled the bases toward home.
' g% {' R, ^! }>
> All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
$ i/ I! B! a# x- E>
* ?* |2 u& x; F0 B  O> Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by
> turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!
> Shay, run to third!'
>
6 z! z( C4 X: d! w> As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on
4 Z, g9 @+ A4 n% N) _8 g> their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!' Shay ran to home, stepped
> on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the
2 m  t/ H. y7 f> game for his team.
>
> 'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face,
. }" E, j9 U- n! V: G, i) r  p> 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity
> into this world'.
>
> Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never
> forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy, and coming home and
5 T& `# S* M9 W7 m- L1 r) h! N> seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!
>
> AND NOW A LITTLE FOOTNOTE TO THIS STORY: We all send thousands of jokes
3 }6 ^3 _9 A/ X, ~) x0 @- k> through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending
> messages about life choices, people hesitate. The crude, vulgar, and often
1 x* @8 H. s# W- v3 O2 U$ g" A> obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency
> is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
( |' m! {8 i8 L( D7 ^$ j>
> If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're
> probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the
7 s. [! p5 A( B, |> 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message. Well, the person who
> sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have
/ C( J- V- V- {  A3 X8 G> thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural
) m$ D5 a) l9 e2 O4 O> order of things.' So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people
& U, W! q- w- H# ?$ @> present us with a choice: Do we pass along a little spark of love and
& d! \2 |: A# E; K& s7 W> humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little
. z1 m2 G  s  ^5 R/ \8 G1 c) R> bit colder in the process?
>
/ B7 A. R! N- ~* c9 D> A wise man once said every society is judged by
9 n- c, h( o2 Z> how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.
>
> You now have two choices:
0 L. ~' d' O( }3 X  \/ u> 1. Delete
> 2. Forward
>
> May your day, be a Shay Day.